Terminal junction interconnection system

ABSTRACT

Terminal device for a wire comprises a section of metal strip bent 180* intermediate its end to form two plate sections connected by a bight. A slot extends into the bight and partially into the plate sections. Wire is forced into the slot and electrically contacted by edges of the slot in each plate section. Modified version has a third plate section integral with other two plate sections. Third plate section may be slotted or unslotted; if unslotted, the third plate section functions as a wire trimming means in cooperation with an insertion tool. Housings and mounting means of various types for terminals are also disclosed to hold a plurality of terminals.

llnited Inventor George Allen Patton Piaiitown, N.C.

Appl. No. 805,160

Filed Mar. 7, 1969 Patented Nov. 2, 1971 Assignee AMlP incorporatedHarrisburg, Pa.

Continuation-impart in application Ser. No. 724,346, Apr. 26,1968, nowabandoned.

TERMINAL JUNCTION llNTElRCONNECTION SYSTEM 10 Claims, 26 Drawing Figs.

[ 1 ammo Primary Examiner-Joseph H. McGlynn Attorneys-Curtis, Morris andSafford, William J. Keating,

William Hintze, Frederick W. Raring, Adrian J. La Rue and Jay L.Seitchik ABSTRACT: Terminal device for a wire comprises a section ofmetal strip bent 180 intermediate its end to form two plate sectionsconnected by a bight. A slot extends into the bight and partially intothe plate sections. Wire is forced into the slot and electricallycontacted by edges of the slot in each plate section. Modified versionhas a third plate section integral with other two plate sections. Thirdplate section may be slotted or unslotted; if unslotted, the third platesection functions as a wire trimming means in cooperation with aninsertion tool. Housings and mounting means of various types forterminals are also disclosed to hold a plurality of terminals.

PATENTEU NW2 IBYI SHEET 2 BF 8 PATENTED wave 19?:

SHEET UF 8 PATENTEnwuvz IBTI 361K983 sum or a TEiiMllNAiL JUNCTIIONlINTFlRCONNlECTlION SYSTEM This application is a continuation-in-part ofapplication Ser. No. 724,346, filed Apr. 26, 1968, and now abandoned.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention is directed toterminal devices, methods of manufacturing terminal devices, and toconnectors containing a plurality of terminal devices for makinginterconnections among a plurality of conductors. Some herein disclosedembodiments of the invention are particularly intended for use intelephone installations for making interconnections among numerousconductors. However, terminal devices in accordance with the inventionmight be used under a wide variety of circumstances.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved terminal device. Afurther object is to provide improved connecting device for makingconnections among a plurality of insulated conductors. A further objectis to provide a connecting device which permits connections betweendifferent conductors to be made with relative ease by an unskilled orsemiskilled technician. A still further object is to provide aconnecting device having a combination means for establishing electricalcontact with the conducting core of a wire when the connection is madeand means for trimming the end of the wire at a location adjacent to theelectrical contact. A further object of the invention is to providealternative types of housings or mounting means for a plurality ofterminal devices and to achieve thereby a composite connecting apparatuswhich can be made in varying sizes to suit the needs of many differentindividual situations. Further objects include the achievement ofimproved methods of manufacturing terminal devices and an improved blankfrom which a terminal device can be manufactured.

A terminal device in accordance with one embodiment of the inventioncomprises a strip of metal which has been bent through an angle ofsubstantially 180 intermediate its ends to form two parallel platesections connected by a bight. A slot extends into the bight and intoboth of the plate sections and is adapted to receive a wire in a mannersuch that the wire insulation is penetrated by edge portions of the slotto establish electrical contact with the wire core. The terminal deviceis produced by punching an elongated narrow opening in a metal strip andbending the strip.

A multicontact connector in accordance with the invention, forinterconnecting a plurality of conductors, may comprise s plurality ofindividual terminal devices mounted on, and held on the surface of, asupporting block. Each terminal member has a third platelike sectionwhich functions as a shearing member in cooperation with an insertiontool in a manner such that as the wire is forced into the slots of theother two sections, the scrap portion of the wire which extends beyondthe shearing plate is severed from the active or functional portion ofthe wire. In an alternative embodiment the third section is providedwith a slot to permit connection of an intermediate portion of a wirethereto.

The individual terminals may be held on the supporting block or base bya clamping plate which fits snugly over the base member and surroundsthe individual terminals locking them in place. In this embodiment ofthe invention, a cap member is provided to enclose the entire connectorand means are provided at the corners of the housing for admitting amulticonductor cable and clamping the cable to thereby further improvethe strain-relief means for the wires. In accordance with an alternativeembodiment of the invention, the individual terminal members areprovided as associated pairs with a neck or shank connectingcorresponding plate portions of the two terminal members of each pair.Terminal members of this type are supported on a modular compositemounting block which is composed of a plurality of block sectionslatched together. Recesses are provided in the adjacent sides oftheblock sections which are adapted to receive the neck or shank portionsof the individual terminals. The block sections, in turn, are secured toa mounting plate through which the cables extend and which may be, inturn, secured to a suitable mounting surface.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view, with parts broken away, of one form ofconnector in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective exploded view showing the base por tion and theclamping plate portion of the connector of FIG. I;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view similar to FIG. 2 and showing anindividual terminal member exploded from the base member and theclamping plate;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional side view of the connector of FIG. 1;

FIG. Sis a view taken along the lines 5-5 ofFIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing an individual terminal member inalignment with an insertion tool and illustrating the relationship ofthe parts when a wire is being connected to the terminal member;

FIG. 7 is a side view of a terminal member and an insertion tool showingthe positions of the parts after the connection has been made and theend of the wire has been trimmed;

FIGS. 3 and 9 are views taken along the lines d% and 9-9 of FiG. 7;

FIG. 10 is a plan view of a blank of the type from which terminalmembers for the embodiment of FIG. I are manufactured;

FIG. 11 is a fragmentary perspective view of a corner portion of theconnector of FIG. l and illustrating the manner in which a clamping plugis assembled to a strain-relief device to clamp an incoming cable;

FIG. 12 is a view similar to FIG. II but showing the clamping plug inits clamping position;

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a connecting device in accordance withan alternative embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 14 is an enlarged perspective view of a comer portion of theconnector of FIG. 13 with parts exploded from the assembly;

FIG. 15 is a side view of the terminal member used in the connectingdevice of FIG. 13;

FIG. 16 is a plan view of the blank from which the terminal member ofFIG. 15 is produced; 7

FIG. 17 is a side view of the connector of FIG. 13 and illustrating themanner in which the incoming and outgoing cables are interconnected bythe terminals in the connector;

FIG. 18 is a side view of a double-ended terminal device havingterminals on its end in accordance with alternative embodiment oftheinvention;

FIG. 19 is a side view on an enlarged scale of a terminal of the typeprovided on the terminal device of FIG. 18 and illustrating the mannerin which insulated wires are temporarily positioned in the slots of theterminal device prior to complete insertion;

FIG. 20 is a view taken along the lines 20-20 of FIG. 19;

FIG. 21 is a view similar to FIG. I9 but illustrating the insertion ofthe wires into the terminal device and the trimming of the end portionsof the wires;

FIG. 22 is a view similar to FIG. 20 but showing a wire fully insertedinto the terminal;

FIG. 23 is a side view of a double-ended terminal device in accordancewith a further embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 24 is a plan view of the sheet metal blank from which the terminaldevice of FIG. 23 is formed;

FIG. 25 is a fragmentary perspective view of a terminal block assemblyhaving terminal devices of the type shown in FIG. 23 mounted therein;

FIG. 26 is a sectional end view showing a group of terminal devices ofthe type shown in FIG. 23 having wires connected thereto andillustrating the manner in which adjacent terminal devices can beelectrically commoned.

Referring first to FIGS. 1-3, one form of connector 2 in accordance withthe invention comprises a base member 4, a retaining or clamping platemember ti, and a cover plate d, these members being of suitable moldedinsulating material such as a high impact strength ABS(acrylonitrile-butadienestyrene) resin. A plurality of .terminal membersare clamped against surface portions of the base 4 by means of theretaining plate 6, each terminal, in this embodiment, comprising threesubstantially parallel plate sections 12, 14, and 16 which are connectedby integral bights 18, 20. A plurality of slots extend downwardly, asviewed in the drawing, through the bight 20 and form, in effect,side-by-side slots 22a, 24a, 26a, and 22b, 24b and 26b in the plateportions 14, 16 respectively, see FIG. 6. These slots, in theembodiment, are relatively wide at their upper ends in the vicinity ofthe bight 20 in order to facilitate positioning of the wires in theslots. The lower portions of the slots are relatively narrow, the widthof the portions of the slots 22a, 24 a, 26a in the plate portion 14being less than the diameter of the conducting core 32 of the wire. Asshown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the lower portions of the slots 22b, 24b, 26b inthe plate section 16 are preferably relatively wider than slots 22a,24a, 26a, and may have a width substantially equal to, but slightly lessthan, the diameter of the metallic core of the wire. By virtue of thisarrangement, when a wire is forced downwardly into the slots, as will beexplained below and as illustrated in FIG. 7, the slots in the platesection 14 will penetrate the insulation and will deform the conductingcore 32 of the wire by a substantial amount thereby establishing a lowresistance electrical contact. The slots in the plate portion 16 on theother hand will penetrate the insulation and penetrate the core slightlyso that they provide a strain-relief. The provision of a strain-reliefof this type ensures that the electrical contact will not be disturbedby the application of a tensile force to the wire.

The plate section 30 of the terminal device, which functions as ashearing means, has a height which is substantially less than that ofthe plate sections 14, 16 so that this plate section 12 provides anupper edge 30 which extends transversely of the slot portions 22a, 24a,26a. The bight 18 between the plate portions l2, 14 has transverselyextending feet 17 on its sides and the plate portion 16 has similar feet19 on its opposite sides. These projections cooperate with the retainingmember 6 to secure the terminal members in the housing 2 as will bedescribed below.

The individual wires are electrically connected to the terminal memberby means of an insertion tool having a shank portion 38 and a headportion 36. A suitable handle can be provided on the upper portion ofthe shank member 38 or alternatively a self-tripping impact hammer canbe provided as described, for example, in US. Pat. No. 2,774,133. Suchimpact tools with self-tripping hammers are desirable for makingelectrical connections for the reason that the technician making theconnection will be assured that he has achieved the desired result andimposed the necessary force on the wire or terminal when he pushes onthe tool with sufficient force to trip the hammer. As will be apparentfrom the explanation presented below, a self-tripping hammer of thistype can be used in the same general manner as disclosed in theaboveidentified patent.

The lower end of the tool head 36 is provided with three depending arms42, 44, 46. The central arm 42 has a width substantially equal to thedistance between the plate portions l2, 14 of the terminal and has arecess on its lower end at 46, the width of this recess being somewhatgreater than the diameter of the insulation 34 of the wire. The arm 44has a similar notch or recess 48 on its underside and is spaced from thearm 42 by an amount equal to the thickness of the plate portion 12 ofthe terminal. The arm 40 may be of any convenient thickness and isspaced from the arm 42 by an amount equal to the distance between theoppositely directed faces of the plate portions l4, 16 so that it canfit over the bight 20 as illustrated in FIG. 7.

When a wire is to be connected to a terminal member 10, the wire ispositioned in the enlarged upper portion 28 of the appropriate one ofthe notches in the plate members 14, 16. The tool is then located abovethe terminal member with the intermediate arm 42 in alignment with thespace between plate portions 12, 14 and with the arm 40 disposedadjacent to the plate portion 16. The tool is then pushed downwardlyuntil the wire is forced into the lower portions of the notches. Duringsuch downward movement of the tool and the wire, the portion of the wirewhich projects leftwardly as viewed in FIGS. 6 and 7 beyond the plateportion 14 will be sheared in the plane of the plate portion 30 by thecooperative action of the edge 30 and the adjacent edge of the innerside of the recess 48 of arm 44. As previously noted, the tool 38, 36may take the fonn of a center punch type impact handtool so that thetool need only be pushed downwardly until the hammer in the tool handleis tripped thereby assuring that the wire is moved downwardly. Theportion of the wire which is pushed into the slot portion in the plate14 will be radically deformed and the sides of the slot will penetratethe conducting core of the wire thereby to establish the electricalcontact as shown in FIG. 8. The portion of the wire which is moved intothe slot in the plate 16 will have its insulation penetrated by thesides of the slot thereby to provide the strain-relief discussed above.

Another form of insertion tool for putting wires into the slots ofconnectors or terminals in accordance with the invention is disclosed inthe copending application of Christopher K. Brown, Ser. No. 776,383,filed Nov. 18, I968. The Brown tool differs from the tool shown in FIGS.6 and 7 in several respects, one significant difference being theprovision of a reaction arm of the tool which embraces the bight 18 sothat it supports the terminal device while the wires are being insertedand trimmed by the application of downward forces on the wires. Theprovision of this reaction device is advantageous in that the forcesapplied to the terminal during wire insertion are not transmitted to thehousing or mounting means for the terminal (which may be of the typesdescribed below) and the housings or mounting means need not thereforebe designed to withstand the imposition of the insertion forces.

It will be apparent from the foregoing description that the electricalconnection of the terminal to the wire core and the mechanicalstrain-relief for the wire are achieved by the plate sections 14, 16 ofthe embodiment described above and that the plate section 12 is notdirectly related to the electrical function of the terminal but israther provided as a convenience for the operation of connecting thewire to the terminal. In an embodiment described below (FIG. 23) theplate section of the terminal corresponding to the plate section 12 isprovided with a slot to permit the electrical connection of anintermediate portion of a wire to a terminal in accordance with thebroad principles of the invention.

In its broadest aspect, then, the terminal in accordance with theinvention comprises a metal plate which has been bent through an angleof substantially to form a pair of substantially parallel side-by-sideplate sections connected by a bight. The wire receiving slot, or slots,extend into the bight and partially into each of the plate sections sothat a wire inserted into the slot means is penetrated by the edges ofthe slots in both of the plate sections. Terminal members of thisgeneral type can be used under a wide variety of circum-' stances and ina wide variety of sizes. For example, a terminal in accordance with theinvention might be provided on a printed circuit board or on a componentor device such as a relay or resistor to connect wires thereto. Terminaldevices in accordance with the invention have several advantages overprevious slotted plate type terminal devices from both a manufacturingstandpoint and from an electrical and mechanical performance standpointas is described immediately below.

Referring to FIG. 10, the manufacture of a terminal device in accordancewith the invention is achieved by punching elongated openings in a metalstrip 10' and merely bending the blank about a transverse axis to formthe two essential parallel plate sections shown in FIGS. 3,6, and 7. Theblank 10 of FIG. 10 is ofa length such that it can be bent at twolocations to provide the plate section 12 of the above describedembodiment but a simpler version of a terminal device in accordance withthe invention would, as noted above, not having this shearing plate. Itwill be noted from FIG. 10 that the slots 26b, 24b, and 22b are somewhatwider than the slots 26a, 24a, and 22a. The enlarged upper ends of theslots in the finished terminal which opens into the bight is indicatedat 28 in FIG. 10.

The punching operation required to produce the blank of FIG. it) isrelatively simple and can be carried out with simple and easilymaintained tooling. Moreover, since the aligned slots in the two platesections of the terminal device are formed when the blank is bentthrough an angle of 180, the slots 26a, 2619,24la, 241b, and 22a, 22bwill be in alignment with each other and will be close together afterfinal forming of the terminal device.

Terminal devices in accordance with the general principles of theinvention appear to have substantial advantages over the previouslyknown slotted plate type terminal devices. It is believed that theelectrical and mechanical advantages of the instant terminal devicestern in a large measure, from the U- shaped profile of the terminaldevice with the slot extending through the bight of the U and partiallyinto each of the plate sections which comprise the legs of the U. Inother words, it is believed that the advantages of the instant devicestem from the facts that the edges of the plate sections into which theslots extend are connected by the bight.

When an oversized wire is passed through the gap in the bight and intothe slots in the plate sections M, 16 the wire urges the edges of theslots apart and the reaction forces imposed on the wire by the edges ofthe slot establish the electrical connection between the wire and theterminal. Thus referring to FIG. 6, the wire, upon insertion, tends tourge the plate section specifically identified at 11 outwardly, theforce imposed on this plate section being relatively high since the slotin this plate section is narrow and the deformation of the wire isextreme. The plate section 13 is also urged outwardly but to a muchlesser degree because of the fact the slot is relatively wider than theslot in the plate portion 11 and the loads developed are not as high asin the plate section 14. The plate portion lll does not act as a simplecantilever when the wire is forced into the terminal device because ofthe fact that the end of the plate portion Jill is connected by thebight to the plate portion 113 which is not so heavily stressed by theinserted wire. The end of the plate portion 13 thus supports the end ofthe plate portion ll against lateral flexure and the edge of the slot inthe plate section M is maintained in intimate engagement with themetallic core 32 of the wire.

These features of the terminal device discussed above can be translated,on a practical and utilitarian level, to the achievement of a terminaldevice which can be made much more compact than previously known slottedplate type terminal devices. Specifically, if a terminal device inaccordance with the invention is designed with a given material, say a70-30 brass, and if the stress level is limited to some practical value,then a terminal in accordance with the invention can be substantiallynarrower as measured between the edges of the plate sections, thanpreviously known slotted plate-type terminals. This advantage results inthe achievement of a higher density of connections in a given spaceand/or a saving in material cost. It will also beapparent that a highdegree of space saving is achieved by virtue of the fact that the twoplate sections M, 216 of the terminal are extremely close togetherrather than being spaced apart by a substantial distance.

It should be noted that the instant invention includes the broadcombination of any desired slotted plate-type terminal with an adjacentshearing plate as exemplified by the plate section l2. In other words,the shearing plate 12 can be used in combination with one additionalplate having a wire-receiving slot therein (rather than two additionalplates) if desired and/or where a specific situation dictates the use ofonly a single slotted plate.

One form of housing or support for terminals in accordance with theinvention is shown in FIGS. 2-5. The base portion d of the connectorhousing comprises a floor 52 having a plurality of spaced-apartupstanding ribs 50. The sides 56 of the base and the sidewalls of theribs extend downwardly as viewed in FIG. 8 below the floor 52 so thatthe entire base structure is supported above the surface ofthe mountingpanel to which it is secured. The base structure 4 may be secured to anycon venient mounting panel by suitable means, for example, by means offasteners extending through openings 57 in the floor. Each of the fourcorners of the base structure 4 is provided with a pair of spaced-apartupstanding columns 159 which define an arcuate recess 58 for receptionof a cable. Additionally, clamping means are provided for clamping theincoming and outgoing cables in these recesses as will be describedbelow.

The retaining plate 6, which is also of a relatively firm insulatingmaterial, comprises a plurality of spaced-apart hollow bosses or ribs 66which are connected by integral web portions 62, the interior width ofthese ribs 66 being substantially equal to, and slightly greater than,the width of the ribs 56 on the base portion of the housing. The uppersurfaces 66 of the ribs 60 have a plurality of spaced-apart rectangularopenings 64 which are dimensioned such that the individual terminalmembers It) can be inserted through these openings from the underside ofthe retaining plate although the lateral extending feet l7, 19 of theterminal members will prevent their passage entirely through theopenings. After the terminals have been inserted through the opening 64,the retaining plate 6 is moved downwardly onto the base member 4 untillatch arms 68 on the ends of the ribs 66 pass through suitable openings76 in the floor 62 of the base portion. These latch arms have hookedends as shown so that they will lodge beneath the surface of the floor,as shown in FIG. 5, and hold the retaining plate in assembledrelationship to the base.

When a plurality of conductors in two or more individual cables arebeing interconnected, the base member 4 is secured against a suitablemounting panel and the appropriate number of terminal members aremounted in the retaining plate 6. The retaining plate is thereafterassembled to the base member and the necessary electrical connectionsare made to the terminal members by means of an insertion tool asdescribed above. The wires extending from the cable-supporting surfaces58 at the corners of the base member are led to the appropriate terminalmembers along the passageways which are defined between the hollowrectangular bosses 60 of the cover plate.

After the electrical connections among the conductors of the severalcables have been made, the incoming or outgoing cables are clampedbetween the columns 59 by means of plug members generally indicated at84, FIGS. ill and 12. These plug members are adapted to be receivedbetween the opposed sides of the column members 59 and each plug memberhas a boss 86 on its underside with an arcuate surface d8 adapted tobear against the surface of the cable 82 on the opposite side thereoffrom the side supported on the surfaces 58. Shoulders 90 extend beyondthe sides of the plug 84 and are adapted to lodge beneath internalshoulders 92 on the opposed sides of the column members 59. The upperportion 84 of the clamping plug is dimensioned such that it will bepushed downwardly against the cable and into locked relationship withthe columns 59 when the cap member 72 is assembled to the connector,

The cap member 8 has sidewalls 72 which surround the walls 56 of thebase and additionally has openings 7d at each of its four corners inalignment with the columns 59 to permit passage of the cables into theconnector. If desired, these openings M can be formed by providingperforated plugs which would be knocked out when the connector is beinginstalled and when the electrical connections are being made. With thisarrangement, the technician would merely remove the portions of thesidewalls within the perforations where he wished to have a cable enterthe connector. The cap member or cover member ii is held in assembledrelationship to the base member by means of latch arms 7h integral withthe extending upwardly from the sidewalls 56 of the base member adjacentto the column 59. These latch arms have booked ends which are adapted toextend through appropriately located openings 76 in the sides of thecover member. The sidewalls 72 may be made of relatively heavy materialin the vicinity of these openings as shown at in order to achieve asecure latching of the cover member to the base member.

Connectors of the type described above can be made in any desired size,the specific connector shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 being adapted to hold atotal of 50 terminal elements and is, therefore, capable of makinginterconnections among a total of 150 wires. A connector of this typemight be used, for example, at one location in a room of a buildingcontaining 50 or more individual telephone handsets. Smaller connectorsof the same general type can be used where a smaller number of handsetsare being provided in a specific area.

In the foregoing description, the individual terminals are shown asbeing electrically independent of each other. However, if desired, twoor more individual terminal elements 10 can be made electricallyintegral with each other by leaving a connecting slug or shank betweenthe plate portions 16 of the two terminals or by any other suitablemethod.

FIG. 13 shows an alternative embodiment in which a connector 96 inaccordance with the invention comprises a base plate 98, which isadapted to be mounted against a wall, having a plurality of openings 100extending therethrough on each side of a stack of modular clampingblocks 104. In normal use, the plate 98 will be mounted on a suitablepanel and the individual conductors or cables will be led through theopenings 100 so that the wires thereof can be connected to terminalelements mounted in the clamping blocks. The clamping blocks 104 aresubstantially identical to each other, excepting for the uppermost blockof the stack, and have ears 106 extending from their ends. These flangeshave hooked ends 108 which are adapted to enter transversely extendingrecesses 110 in the adjacent clamping block. The lowermost block of thestack shown in FIG. 13 has its locking ears 106 extending throughelongated slots 102 and the baseplate 98.

The adjacent sides of the clamping blocks are provided with transverselyextending slots 112 which are adapted to receive the connecting shank orneck portions 114 of the individual terminal members shown in FIGS. and16. The terminal members in this instance are of the double-ended typewith the ends of each terminal element having the previously identifiedparallel plate members 14, 12, and 16. The length of the neck or shankportions 114 is substantially equal to the thickness of the clampingblocks 104 so that when individual terminals are placed in the slots 112of the block and an adjacent block is assembled to the previouslystacked block, the terminals will be locked firmly in position. Itshould be added that the terminals lend stability to the stock ofclamping blocks by virtue of the fact that the shanks of the terminalextend into the slots. The uppermost clamping block 116 in FIGS. 13 and14 does not have slots on its outwardly facing side nor does it haverecesses 110 which would permit assem bly of an additional blockthereto. It is not essential to use this type of clamping block at theend of the stack, and, if desired, the previously described type ofblock 104 can be used although, of course, the outwardly facing slotswould not be used for mounting terminals.

FIGS. 18-22 show an alternative form of double ended terminal devicehaving an alternative embodiment of a terminal in accordance with theinvention on its ends. The terminal device of FIG. 18 is intended foruse in a connector of the general type shown at 96 in FIG. 13 and wouldbe substituted for the terminals shown in FIG. 13. The terminal deviceof FIG. 18 has a neck portion 1140 which is notched on one side thereofas shown at 116 to facilitate positioning of the neck portion of theterminal device in the slots 112 and to prevent the possibility ofmovement of the neck portion after assembly of the connector 96. It willalso be noted that the terminals 100 on the ends of the terminal deviceextend obliquely rather than axially from the neck portion. It isintended that terminal devices of the type shown in FIG. 18 would beoriented in the connector 96 such that the terminals 2c would bedirected away from the baseplate 98 of FIG. 13. This modification hasthe advantage of rendering the terminals more accessible to thetechnician when the connections are made.

The individual terminals 100 differ from the previously describedembodiment in that the gaps 120 in the bight c have width which isslightly less than the diameter of the insulation 34 of the wire. Theslots in the plate sections extending from the bight 20c are enlarged asshown at 122 immediately beneath the gaps and have a width such thatthey are capable of receiving the wires as shown in FIG. 19. The loweror root portions of the slots are relatively narrow as shown in thedrawing and as previously described with reference to the terminal 10.

An advantage of the embodiment of FIG. 18 is that when a large number ofwires are to be connected to a group of terminals, as for example, whena large number of wires are being connected to the connector of FIG. 13,the wires can be temporarily positioned in the terminals by passing themthrough the gaps 120 and by reason of the interference fit and the wireswill be retained in position while the technician proceeds to lead thewires to the terminal devices to which connections are to be made.Thereafter, and after the wires have been positioned, the technician canemploy an insertion tool, either of the type shown in FIG. 6 or of thetype shown in the above identified Brown application, on all of theterminals in the connector assembly to complete the wiring operation. Itwill be appreciated that this modification results in a substan' tialtime saving since the technician is not required to alternate wirepositioning and inserting operations with each other but can completeall wire-positioning operations and then complete all of thewire-inserting operations. FIGS. 20, 21, and 22 illustrate the insertingoperation which is substan tially the same as with the previousembodiment. The blank for the terminal device 100 can be formed as shownon the right-hand side of FIG. 24 by providing a projection 18' on thesides of the punched openings which form the wire-receiving slots.

FIG. 23 shows a double-ended terminal device 124 having a terminal 100on the right-hand side thereof which is similar to the correspondingterminals in the terminal device of FIG. 18. The left-hand side of theterminal device 124 has a terminal 128 which is formed in the samegeneral manner as the previously described embodiments but which hasonly a single slot means 132. Also, in the embodiment, a slot 134 isprovided in the end section 130 (which functions as the cutter plate inthe previous embodiments) so that a wire can be pushed down into theterminal device without being severed.

Terminal devices of the type shown in FIG. 23 are used in connectorarrangements of the type shown in FIG. 25, 26 in which a plurality ofinsulating blocks are clamped against each other with terminal devices124 held between the blocks. Individual conductors can be led to theterminal devices on the left in FIG. 25 (that is behind the stack ofblocks) and the terminal devices themselves can be electricallyconnected by means of wires extending through the slots in the devicesas shown on the right in FIG. 25. In this manner, a single wire can beused to make all the required interconnections among blocks where suchterminal devices are to be connected in series, rather than by the useof jumper wires which would extend from one block to the next block.Devices of this type are frequently used in the telephone industry toconnect incoming trunk lines to switch gear.

Changes in construction will occur to those skilled in the art andvarious apparently different modifications and embodiments may be madewithout departing from the scope of the invention. The matter set forthin the foregoing description and accompanying drawings is offered by wayof illustration only.

Iclaim:

l. A terminal device for use with an insulated wire comprismg a metalplate having one reverse bend therein to form a pair of parallel platesections connected by a first bight,

slot means extending into said first bight and into said plate sectionsto define aligned slots in said plate sections and a gap in said bight,at least one of said aligned slots having a root portion of a width lessthan the diameter of the conducting core of said wire,

the width of said gap and the width of portions of said slots adjacentto said gap being sufficient to permit movement of said wire laterallyof its axis through said gap and into said slots whereby, upon movementof said wire into said root portions of said slot, edge portions of saidslot penetrate the insulation of said wire and establish electricalcontact with the metallic core of said wire.

2. A terminal device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said gap has awidth which is less than the outside diameter of said wire and greaterthan the diameter of the metallic core of said wire, the width of saidadjacent portions of said slots being greater than the outside diameterof said wire whereby, said wire can be forced third said gap and will beretained in said adjacent portions of said slots until said width isforced into said root portions of said slots.

3. A terminal device as set forth in claim 1 including a third platesection connected by a second bight to one of said pair of platesections, said second bight being on the opposite side of said platesections from the side on which said first bight is located, said thirdplate section having a width, as measured between said bights, which isless than the width of said first named plate sections, said third platesection being cooperable with an insertion tool to shear a wireextending past said third plate section during insertion of said wireinto said slots.

4. A terminal device as set forth in claim 1 including a third platesection connected by a second bight to one of said pair of platesections, said second bight being on the opposite side of said platesections from the side on which said first bight is located, said thirdplate section having a width, as measured between said bights, which isless than the width of said first named plate sections, said third platehaving a slot therein in alignment with root portions of said slots insaid pair of plate sections to permit connection of an intermediateportion of a wire to said terminal device.

5. A terminal device comprising first and second platelike sectionsparallel to, and spaced from each other, at least one wire-receivingslot extending inwardly from one side of said second section, at leastthe inner portions of said slot having a width which is less than thediameter of the conducting core of the wire adapted to be connected tosaid device, said first section having a dimension in the direction ofsaid slot which is less than the corresponding dimension of said secondsection, said first section having an edge which extends transverselywith respect to said slot, said edge being cooperable with an insertionmeans movable between said first and second sections to trim a wirebeing connected to said device in the plane of said first section.

6. A device as set forth in claim 5 including holding means adjacent tosaid second section for holding a wire connected to said device andproviding a strain relief for said wire.

7. A device as set forth in claim ti wherein said holding meanscomprises a third platelike section having a wirereceiving slot inalignment with said slot in said second section, said slot in said thirdsection having a width which is less than the diameter of the insulationof said wire but greater than the width of said slot in said secondsection.

8. A terminal device comprising folded sheet metal having first, second,and third platelike sections, said first and second sections beingconnected to each other by a first bight on one side of said device andsaid second and third sections being connected to each other by a secondbight on the other side of said device, a plurality of wire-receivingslots extending inwardly through said second bight and into said secondand third sections, at least the inner portions of said slots in saidsecond section being relatively narrower than the conducting core of awire adapted to be connected to said device, said first section definingan edge extending transversely with respect to said slots and spacedfrom said second section, said edge being adapted to cooperate with aninsertion means during movement of a wire into one of said slots tosever said wire in the plane defined by said first section.

9. A termlnal unctron device as set forth In claim 8 wherein said edgeextends transversely of intermediate portions of said slots.

10. A device as set forth in claim 3 wherein said slots have wideentrance portions intersecting said slots in said third section haveinnner portions which are relatively wider than corresponding portionsof said slots in said second section whereby said slots in said thirdsection grip wires connected to said device and function as a strainrelief.

P0405) UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No.3,617, 983 Dated November 2, 1971 Inventor) George Allen Patton It iscertified that error appears in the above-identified patent and thatsaid Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Claim 2, Column 9, line 14, "third" should be changed to through Claim 2Column 9, line 15, "width" should be changed to wire Claim 10 isincomplete as printed and should read as follows:

" A device as set forth in claim 8 wherein said slots have wide entranceportions intersecting said second bight and said slots in said thirdsection have inner portions which are relatively wider thancorresponding portions of said slots in said second section whereby saidslots in said third section grip wires connected to said device andfunction as a strain relief."

Signed and sealed this 18th day of April 1972.

(SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD M.FLETCHER,JR. ROBERT GOTTSCHALK Attestin Officer- Commissionerof Patents

1. A terminal device for use with an insulated wire comprising a metal plate having one reverse bend therein to form a pair of parallel plate sections connected by a first bight, slot means extending into said first bight and into said plate sections to define aligned slots in said plate sections and a gap in said bight, at least one of said aligned slots having a root portion of a width less than the diameter of the conducting core of said wire, the width of said gap and the width of portions of said slots adjacent to said gap being sufficient to permit movement of said wire laterally of its axis through said gap and into said slots whereby, upon movement of Said wire into said root portions of said slot, edge portions of said slot penetrate the insulation of said wire and establish electrical contact with the metallic core of said wire.
 2. A terminal device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said gap has a width which is less than the outside diameter of said wire and greater than the diameter of the metallic core of said wire, the width of said adjacent portions of said slots being greater than the outside diameter of said wire whereby, said wire can be forced third said gap and will be retained in said adjacent portions of said slots until said width is forced into said root portions of said slots.
 3. A terminal device as set forth in claim 1 including a third plate section connected by a second bight to one of said pair of plate sections, said second bight being on the opposite side of said plate sections from the side on which said first bight is located, said third plate section having a width, as measured between said bights, which is less than the width of said first named plate sections, said third plate section being cooperable with an insertion tool to shear a wire extending past said third plate section during insertion of said wire into said slots.
 4. A terminal device as set forth in claim 1 including a third plate section connected by a second bight to one of said pair of plate sections, said second bight being on the opposite side of said plate sections from the side on which said first bight is located, said third plate section having a width, as measured between said bights, which is less than the width of said first named plate sections, said third plate having a slot therein in alignment with root portions of said slots in said pair of plate sections to permit connection of an intermediate portion of a wire to said terminal device.
 5. A terminal device comprising first and second platelike sections parallel to, and spaced from each other, at least one wire-receiving slot extending inwardly from one side of said second section, at least the inner portions of said slot having a width which is less than the diameter of the conducting core of the wire adapted to be connected to said device, said first section having a dimension in the direction of said slot which is less than the corresponding dimension of said second section, said first section having an edge which extends transversely with respect to said slot, said edge being cooperable with an insertion means movable between said first and second sections to trim a wire being connected to said device in the plane of said first section.
 6. A device as set forth in claim 5 including holding means adjacent to said second section for holding a wire connected to said device and providing a strain relief for said wire.
 7. A device as set forth in claim 6 wherein said holding means comprises a third platelike section having a wire-receiving slot in alignment with said slot in said second section, said slot in said third section having a width which is less than the diameter of the insulation of said wire but greater than the width of said slot in said second section.
 8. A terminal device comprising folded sheet metal having first, second, and third platelike sections, said first and second sections being connected to each other by a first bight on one side of said device and said second and third sections being connected to each other by a second bight on the other side of said device, a plurality of wire-receiving slots extending inwardly through said second bight and into said second and third sections, at least the inner portions of said slots in said second section being relatively narrower than the conducting core of a wire adapted to be connected to said device, said first section defining an edge extending transversely with respect to said slots and spaced from said second section, said edge being adapted to cooperate with an insertion means during movement of a wire into one of said slots to sever said wire in the plane definEd by said first section.
 9. A terminal junction device as set forth in claim 8 wherein said edge extends transversely of intermediate portions of said slots.
 10. A device as set forth in claim 8 wherein said slots have wide entrance portions intersecting said slots in said third section have innner portions which are relatively wider than corresponding portions of said slots in said second section whereby said slots in said third section grip wires connected to said device and function as a strain relief. 